The plan was to get up early this morning and get going. We got a hiking suggestion from our AirBnB host and decided to try it. Parked the car, found the trailhead and set off. It was an amazing hike. It looked a lot like hikes in Acadia National Park in Maine or the Olympic Peninsula. We had light rain and the precipitation and constant misting of the plants makes the ecosystem incredibly lush and green with giant ferns, big healthy evergreens and broadleaf trees, thick mosses on every rock, even a giant snail. The trail follows the river but ascends quickly until you’re on a cliff 200’ in a sheer drop over the water.
The river roars through the narrow canyon. We hiked through a picture perfect mountain meadow dotted with sturdy wood hay sheds and farm buildings and framed on the opposite side by the majestic Mt. Eiger. Nearly every home we passed had a massive pile of firewood neatly stacked and cut to identical lengths. One can only imagine being holed up in a massive Swiss snowstorm. Best to have a lot of fuel on hand.
We did a lot of steep ups and downs over rocky, slick ground. Eventually we completed our loop, back again where we started at the river.
We hiked back to the car. We walked downtown to find a place for lunch. We decided on the Altepost. It wasn’t a fancy place, but they had large, tasty meals. Like many Swiss restaurants, this one features a lot of Swiss produce and products. I got a mixed salad. It was enormous and included greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, coleslaw, two whole boiled potatoes and three thick slices of excellent Swiss cheese. It was so much that I had to give away a slice of cheese and both potatoes. We certainly got our money’s worth. Don thought he would be adventurous and ordered a Swiss coffee. When it arrived topped with a fluffy cloud of whipped cream, he knew it was not a normal coffee. One sip confirmed that this cup had a little extra kick to it. It brought to mind the old saying, “You can’t drink all day if you don’t start in the morning.”
We needed to stop at a grocery store so Dave and Don walked that way while Clay and I headed back to the car. The plan was that they would call us when they were done and we would pick them up, thus simplifying our parking options. Parking in this town is not easy. Parking spaces on the streets are at a premium. The ramps in Grindelwald are located at opposite ends of the downtown. Seemed logical but in Switzerland it never is. When Don texted us, we headed towards them. As we slowly cruised the street we scanned the throngs for familiar faces. Nothing. I tried to call. The call wouldn’t go through. Clay tried to call. Nothing. As I sat blocking traffic, I decided that I’d better get off the main road. I spotted a parking place in the lot at the train station where luckily (and illegally) I found a spot. Of course the second we turned into the lot, we spotted those guys standing a block up across the street. I walked back, flagged them down and we were all finally reunited. Based on a recommendation from our AirBnB host, we decided to try a hiking trail in Lauterbrunnen, 14 miles away and up a different valley. We had been hearing about Lauterbrunnen ever since we had been planning our trip. It didn’t disappoint!
Like Grindelwald, it is a quaint, pretty, neat little town snuggled in a deep valley. On one side are steep mountains. On the other, a steep massif rising hundreds of vertical feet from the valley floor. Several waterfalls tumble spectacularly over this cliff face. One of them features a steep walkway that takes you up the rock face and behind the falls. We took the trip up. It was slow going. The trail terminates nearly to the top, but every single person had to first take a selfie (several poses) and then shoot a video and then do a group selfie.
The whole process was a little bit of walking and a lot of standing. While I was waiting my turn, I was wishing, praying, that someone would drop their phone over the edge. Video shot, we worked our way back down. By now it had begun to rain steadily. The plan was to begin our walk, but we were getting wetter and wetter and abandoned the walk for a more prudent alternative, a beer at a local pub. We found a snug little place nearby, grabbed a table on the porch under a roof and settled down to soak in the storybook vista. Distant trains and trams plied the steep slopes, hundreds of tourists of all nationalities sauntered by and a giant rain cloud slowly drifted by in the valley below.
Don sampled a Swiss beer while Dave, Clay and I had shots of spirits: tequila and whiskey. After two rounds, we reached a point of no return where we would have to decide whether to keep drinking or do the more responsible thing and head back to the hacienda. Being a lot older and wiser than our impulsive younger selves, we decided to leave. On the way out of town we stopped at a local convenience store. We picked up sandwiches, beer and chips and hit the road. Had a delightful late picnic at the house and finished our evening with a round of Quiddler. After a long day of outdoor air, exercise and a few beverages, it was a little challenging to keep track of who dealt, but we made it through. A few more snacks and a shower and it was lights out.